How to Turn Every Candidate Interaction Into a Lead Opportunity

As we quickly approach the end of February (honestly, where is Q1 going?) a lot of you probably have a good idea of what your pipeline looks like and what you could be finishing on in a few weeks time to wrap-up the quarter.

In this edition, we will be talking all about candidates - but in the context of business development. For seasoned recruiters, you’ll all be familiar with the importance of treating clients and candidates the same.

Your candidate could be your client weeks after you’ve placed them. 

If they’re going into a role where they have immediate hiring power, it’s important that you make an impact. 

We will take it back to basics and talk about the four ways you can turn every candidate interaction into a lead opportunity.

Before we dive in, let's all agree on how you would define a ‘lead’.

Whilst there are many different ways to define what a lead means, we refer to a lead as a potential candidate or company identified as someone interested in a job opening or hiring services from a recruitment agency.

#1 Ask for a referral

It’s the oldest trick in the book, so ask yourself this - how many referrals have you asked for this week? Good people know good people, and referrals don’t just have to come in the form of a candidate looking for a role. 

It could be a candidate you’ve helped out and placed, or simply someone you have a good relationship with. Ask them who else they know who might be hiring or might need a role, and you have a lead ready to follow up on there and then.

In recruitment, it’s important that we are experts in our market, and the only way we can do that is by getting the ‘inside scoop’ from people who are within these organisations. 

When you hear online that a company is hiring or firing, you’re probably a few weeks (or even months) too late.

If you want some killer questions to generate more referrals, here are a couple from our mastering leads course on Hector with Amy Holder.

• What’s one manager you’d love to work with again, why?
  

• If you were to join the business what colleagues would you love to bring with you?
  

• X company is hiring, might be worthwhile applying, I don’t work

with them - any other companies you’re in process with happy to

give my two cents on them

ACTION: Get a minimum of 3 referrals a day, whether it’s a potential client or a candidate.

#2 Turn rejected candidates into future clients

Just because you weren’t able to place someone doesn’t mean that the relationship should be finished.

It can be easy to assume that there isn’t much point in continuing a conversation. 

However, let’s say that this candidate has gone through a three-step interview process - you’ve already got an existing, credible relationship there. 

Why throw it away because there was rejection at the first hurdle? 

Even if you don’t end up placing them in their forever role, continue to help them and pioneer for them in the space. 

When they land a new role, they’ll still remember you and the relationship you’ve built, and will probably still give you leads based on catch-up conversations and coffees! 

We have consistently found recruiters committed to delivering a world-class candidate experience end up with unsuccessful placements becoming their best advocates and lead sources.

ACTION: Reach out to unsuccessful candidates on a monthly basis, share thought leadership content, and keep them ‘warm’ and in the know. They will repay the favour if you continue to add value to the relationship.

#3 Prioritise in-person meetings for placed candidate catch-ups

You may be thinking, ‘What’s the difference?’ but the truth is, going for a coffee or lunch versus a quick phone call can build a longer, more meaningful relationship with your placed candidates. 

You always want to ensure that, where possible, your placed candidates are being looked after and that you have regular contact with them. 

This means that coffee and lunches end up becoming a networking session for the two of you. 

Plus, the reality is so many candidates wouldn’t have ever met the recruiter they have worked with before, and in a very competitive landscape, going the extra mile can give you an edge.

This quote has stuck with me ever since I interviewed a top contract biller recently (He does the EU & UK Markets):

“I’m so surprised so many recruiters still don’t meet their clients. Whenever I meet a hiring manager, I always ask them this question: how many recruiters have you met with that you have done business with? 90% of them have always said none.”

Meeting people in person will give you an edge in today's AI world.

ACTION: Meet placed candidates on a quarterly basis for lunch or an in-person coffee, on top of monthly e-mails/texts, to keep the relationship warm.

#4 Ask for contributions to things such as salary surveys to get data insights and have a ‘reason to call’

Creating content such as salary surveys that require contributions (whether this is numerical data or a quote from someone in the industry) is an excuse for you to network with passive and/or active candidates in your network. 

This gives you both the opportunity to turn them into a client or candidate, coming from a marketing angle instead of an ‘I’m a recruiter’ angle. 

Requesting contributions and building relationships in this way can help you to position your personal brand as a recruiter much better. It’s a slower burn but often with a higher reward.

A great example of this is myself with Hector and the podcast. 

A lot of what has been built is down to the input of building relationships with others as opposed to just hard, cold, business development.

ACTION: If you don’t create things such as salary surveys or other marketing content that requires inputs from prospective candidates/clients, then it’s probably time to start doing one…

In summary, every interaction with a candidate is an opportunity to get a lead. 

If you struggle with business development, start with these four simple ways to consistently generate leads, and you should always have a healthy pipeline. After all, leads are the lifeblood of your recruitment desk.”

P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

#1: Do you listen to my podcast? I release a weekly episode with either a top-performing recruiter or recruitment entrepreneur to find out how they achieved their success so you can learn directly from their journey Check out my latest episode and subscribe to the show.

#2: Promote your brand to over 5,109 recruitment professionals by sponsoring this newsletter (bookings available from Feb 2025).

#3: Want to improve your job-to-fill ratios and new client pipeline? Hector - Our online skills development platform, helps recruitment teams build BD strategies that drive results, enhance the quality of jobs won, and fill roles faster—without the need for costly external trainers >>>> Book A Free Skills Assessment Session With Me Here to see how we can help your team achieve these results too!